Keeping the kids entertained can be a tricky business, and there may be times you feel like an underpaid palace jester, so busy are you trying to keep the kids happy and prevent those inevitable cries of “I’m bored!”
Getting outside in the fresh air is just about the best thing you can do for your kids; the fresh air will not only benefit their health, but running around outdoors will tire them out, which is a definite bonus for you as you can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet on the sofa after they have gone to bed, all tired out from the garden!
Not every child will automatically want to go and spend time outside though; some will need a bit of bribing and cajoling. That is where the fun and games come in! It’s very easy to have a lot of fun in your garden, and if you’re stuck for ideas of what to do with the kids then this is a great, effective, and (best of all!) free solution.
Best Garden Games For Kids
With this in mind, what are some of the best garden games for kids? If you are lucky enough to have a garden of your own then this is simple and easy, if not then why not borrow a friends’ garden? Or even go out into the wild blue yonder, and find an empty field so you and your kids can have some outside fun?
Treasure Hunt
When you’re young, anything can be treasure. You can hide small pieces of paper, little sweets, plastic jewels – anything will do; it’s the fun of finding the clues and working out where the next “treasure” is that’s the fun part! You can get even more sophisticated and provide your children with simple metal detectors to get a bit more realism into this game!
Obstacle Course
This is so much fun for kids – there is the danger element (which you will have carefully controlled, of course, as you are the one who gets to build the obstacle course), the climbing, running, hopping and ducking elements, and the general fun of turning the garden into a gigantic adventure playground! You could set a time limit for the course, to make it even more challenging, or just sit back and watch as they navigate the course in their own time.
Water Fight
Ok, so this one is pretty much only suitable for the summer, but a water fight in the hot weather is just about the best fun ever. Load them up with plastic cups, jugs, water balloons, or even just turn on the hose and let them get on with it! Just make sure there are plenty of warm dry towels and a change of clothes on standby.
Gardening
All kids love getting muddy. Why not embrace it? Get them to help you dig, weed the vegetable plots and even give them a little patch of earth to plant their own flowers or vegetables. There is something so fascinating about watching seeds germinate and start to grow, and it can teach children a lot about where their food comes from. If you instil a love of gardening at an early age you can be sure it will last their whole lives.
Bubbles
This may be more suitable for younger children, but kids of all ages are fascinated with bubbles so you may well find it works just as well for older children. Blowing their own bubbles on different sized wands, or watching a machine power out clouds of bubbles are equally good fun.
Hide And Seek
This is such a classic game there is no need to explain the rules! Your kids will love to learn it and play it with you, then branch out to playing it with their own friends. Kids have an uncanny knack of finding danger though, so make sure you do a quick sweep of potential hiding places so you know they are all safe.
Races
Racing is great for encouraging cardiovascular workouts, and also that innate sense of competitiveness in us all (just make sure the loser doesn’t feel too bad abut losing!) Kids will love the challenge and the running around, and you can make little prizes for each of them to add an extra dimension to the game.
Animal Spotting
Great for the budding zoologist in your family. If you have a big garden with lots of hedges, rocks and hidey holes for various creature then this will be even more fun – but even a tiny garden can yield some really interesting animals, birds and creepy crawlies. It’s fun and educational!
Tag
Tag is a bit like a racing game, but it’s less focused on winners and losers, making it great for kids who don’t get on well with competition. There is a chance for everyone to be “it” at some point, so it is a very inclusive game – and will burn off loads of energy!
Ball Games
Ball games are such a fantastic thing to play in the garden! Try to keep enthusiastic kicking away from the greenhouse though, and direct throwing of hard balls away from the house windows. There are a great many ball games to choose from, or you may find that, left to their own devices with a ball or several, your kids make up their own new games.
Final Words
Getting outside in the fresh air is amazing for your children’s health and well being. Making it fun for them to get out in the fresh air will ensure that they are happy to do it, and won’t whinge and whine and choose to stay indoors watching telly instead!
You can pick a few garden games for kids from the list above, or you can get creative and come up with your own ideas based on what your kids like doing the most. Whatever you end up doing, be sure to take a moment to enjoy their happy laughter and their rosy cheeks and know that they are in the best place for their health, learning and fun.